Miami man found guilty of murder in 2009 attempted burglary of Palm City grow house

STUART — It took a Martin County jury a little more than an hour to find a Miami man guilty of first-degree felony murder in the 2009 shooting death of a Homestead man who died during the attempted armed burglary of a Palm City marijuana grow house.

Cuba native Yunior Galvez Casanas, 32, also was convicted of armed burglary of a dwelling and attempted robbery related to the killing of Juan Mesa Sanchez, 43, an accomplice who’d come with Casanas from Miami.

Casanas faces a mandatory life prison term when he’s sentenced March 13.

State prosecutors on Friday said in the early hours of Aug. 28, 2009, Sanchez, Casanas and co-defendant Osmaidy Gonzalez Cala, 33, also of Miami, and others targeted a rural Palm City home at the 4500 block of Southwest Moore Street to steal $60,000 worth of pot plants cultivated by then-homeowner Eugenio Veloz.

Assistant State Attorney Steve Gosnell said evidence showed Casanas and his accomplices came to Martin County in Casanas’ car armed with guns, mace, bolt cutters and a pry bar.

“The plan did go a bit sideways, a very well coordinated plan. It went sideways because Veloz defended himself and his grow operation with this,” said Gosnell, picking up a 12-gauge shotgun.

“He grabs his shotgun and he shoots out into the night. Four guys dressed as cops, armed with .38s, go to take this one guy out and take his stuff,” Gosnell said. “But he had the drop on them, so it throws the plan into a tailspin these guys got shot at, they had loaded guns, they tried to shoot back to scare him but what do they do? Instead they clip one of their own.”

Police responding to a 3 a.m. distress call found Sanchez dead from a .38 caliber bullet.

When Casanas testified for seven hours Thursday, he said he was in Palm City because he thought he was going to a party in West Palm Beach. He insisted he had no idea the men he was with were about to commit armed robbery.

During the chaotic shooting, Casanas said he was sitting in his car in the dark, alone, waiting for his friend Cala to return. When Cala showed up shot and bleeding from Veloz’s shotgun blast, he said he was “shocked.”

After court, his attorney Assistant Public Defender Shane Manship said Casanas was “disappointed” at his conviction.